Only a few passengers cancel flights

CAL terror threat

Few travellers cancelled their flights out of Guyana to New York, USA, on Caribbean Airlines (CAL) yesterday, despite an advisory from the US State Department to make alternative travel arrangements after possible terror threats targeting the airline.

Speaking to the Express yesterday in a telephone interview, the airline’s head of corporate communications, Clint Williams, said the number of cancellations was within the normal range expected for any flight, which reflected a level of confidence in the airline.

On Friday afternoon, Williams said, the airline—which is a State enterprise under the purview of the Ministry of Finance—received a suspicious call and as part of its security protocol, advised the various authorities in Trinidad and Tobago, including the Airports Authority and National Security; since this particular call pertained to Guyana, Guyanese authorities were also informed.

On Sunday, the US Embassy in Guyana issued a release advising its citizens that because of unconfirmed threats, “out of an abundance of caution all US citizens in Guyana travelling on Caribbean Airlines to the United States from Monday, February 10, through Wednesday, February 12, 2014, (should) make alternate travel arrangements”.

Up to press time yesterday, the US Embassy in Guyana had not updated its advisory.

Yesterday, Williams said all Caribbean Airlines flights departing the Cheddi Jagan International Airport in Georgetown to JFK International Airport, New York, left on time and arrived safely.

CAL has four daily flights between New York and Guyana, including one with a stop-over at Piarco International Airport.

Williams said the best security plans are the ones that are not made public, but assured that there are protocols followed based on the type of incident encountered.

“From Friday we have been under highest security; much of what we do is invisible to the travelling public, as it should be,” he said.